Andrew Mehrtens
A mercurial fly-half whose sublime tactical kicking and vision orchestrated the All Blacks' attack during a transformative era for New Zealand rugby.
Born 1973 (age 53)·NZ rugby union player·Birthday: April 28·Generation X
Biography
Andrew Mehrtens didn't just play first-five-eighth; he conducted the orchestra. Emerging in the early professional era, his game was built on a preternatural calm and a right boot that could land a ball on a postage stamp from 50 meters. His partnership with Justin Marshall at halfback became the heartbeat of the great Canterbury and All Blacks sides of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mehrtens was the thinking man's number 10, a strategist who controlled territory and tempo with his punts and passes. While his career coincided with World Cup heartbreak, his influence was profound: he helped usher in a more expansive, skill-based style of play in New Zealand. His later club career in England and France showed his enduring class, but it is in Christchurch and in the black jersey where his legacy of graceful, intelligent playmaking is most fondly remembered.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Andrew was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the All Blacks' all-time leading points scorer (a record later broken by Dan Carter), amassing 967 points in 70 tests.
- Kicked a famous 48-meter dropped goal in the 1995 Rugby World Cup semi-final against England, a crucial score in a tight match.
- Won four National Provincial Championship titles with Canterbury and three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders.
Did You Know?
He was born in South Africa to New Zealand parents and moved to Christchurch as a teenager.
He holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Canterbury.
After retiring, he became a respected rugby commentator and analyst in New Zealand.
“You've got to be able to adapt. If Plan A isn't working, you go to Plan B, and if that's not working you go to the next one.”
